Chapter 8 Islamic Art

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Chapter 8 Islamic Art
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Important Terms and Concepts

• Muslims
• Characteristics of Islamic Art
• Calligraphy
• Kufic Script
• Minaret
• Hypostyle hall
• Characteristics of Mughal Art
• Central-plan mosque
• Tughra

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• Islam originated in the early 7th century.
• Monotheistic, belief in one god.
• religion of the book in this case, the Koran
• followers called Muslims

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Early Islamic Period, c. 750 - 1037 (includes the
Umayyad, Abbasid, and Spanish Umayyad Periods)
Presence of Islamic religion in 900 AD
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Late Islamic Period, c. 1037 - 1918 (includes the
Seljuk, Mughal, and Ottoman Periods)
Presence of Islamic religion in 1700
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• Characteristics of Islamic Art
• focus on written word
• nonfigural ornamentation including geometric
  and organic forms
• Calligraphy art of fine writing
• Earliest form of Arabic script was called Kufic
  script.

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Early Islamic Period c. 750 - 1037
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Umayyad Dynastic Period (c. 661 750)

• Page from the Koran, Syria or Iraq. 9th century
  (not Umayyad Dynasty, actually the Abbasid
  Dynasty)
• Ink, pigments, and gold on vellum, 8 x 11 ½

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• Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel, begun 692
• A shrine built around a sacred rock

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Abbasid Dynastic Period (c.750 1258)

• The Great Mosque, Tunisia. C. 836 875
• Rectangular plan divided into two parts a
  courtyard and a prayer hall with a flat roof.

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A minaret, or tower from which criers call the
prayers, stands in the courtyard.
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Spanish Umayyad Dynastic Period (c.756-1031)
Prayer hall, Great Mosque. Cordoba, Spain. c.785
- 786
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• Two tiers of arches lay atop the columns, they
  use alternating sections of brick and stone.
• example of a hypostyle mosque
• Hypostyle halls large open space lined with
  columns that support the roof

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Dome in front of the mihrab, Great Mosque.
Cordoba. c.965
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Late Islamic Period c. 1037 - 1918
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Seljuk Dynastic Period (c.1037 1194)

• Tile mosaic mihrab, from the Madrasa Imami.
  Persia. C.1354
• Glazed and tiled ceramic, 113 x 76

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Court of the Lions, Palace of the Lions.
Alhambra, Spain. begun c.1380
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• Muqarnas dome, Hall of Abencarrajes, Palace of
  the Lions, Alhambra. C.1354-1391
• Small room off of the Court of the Lions
• ceiling made of small squinches grouped
  together to create honeycomb looking cells

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• Medallion Rug, Anatolia. 16th century
• Wool, 103 x 76
• pattern called the infinite arabesque

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Mughal Empire (c.1526 1658)

• Page with Hamzas Spies Scale the Fortress, North
  India, Mughal period. c. 1567-1582
• folio of illuminated manuscript
• 12 vol. project with 1400 illustrations
• took 15 years to create
• exemplifies Mughal art

• Characteristics of Mughal art
• realistic details
• large figures with lots of energy
• naturalistic figure style

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Taj Mahal, India. c.1632-1648

• Commissioned by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for
  his wife

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The Ottoman Empire (c. 1290-1918)

• Sinan. Sultan Selim Mosque, Turkey. c.1570 - 1574
  
• Sinan was a famous architect, he was 80 when he
  built this
• Dome was bigger than the Hagia Sophia, at 102
  feet in diameter
• Central-plan mosque inspired by the Byzantine
  style

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• Illuminated tughra of Sultan Suleiman I,
  Istanbul, Turkey. c.1555
• tughra combination of rulers name, his fathers
  name, and the motto Eternally Victorious
• Symbolized the power of the sultan
• combined function and adornment